« Superhero Quiz! | Main | Grape Dream »
November 20, 2006
"Hoteye' aha', unyohsa' ya wahstih!" Which means "Brothers and sisters pumpkin is good!" in Wyandotte
Thankfully, Jacob and I have successfully started a Thanksgiving tradition! Basically, the night before thanksgiving, we make pumpkin pie together. Jacob peels the pumpkin while I sing Last of the Mohicans songs, and use his peelings to make a silly looking turkey to bake into the middle of the pie (last year we found that a pumpkin seed for the eye and pumpkin shell pieces for the body, legs, and beak work quite well). While the pie’s baking, Jacob and I read from a book composed of famous Native American speeches. It’s neat because the speeches offer several different personal perspectives of the pilgrims’ settlement. I must say, it’s a pretty intense experience sorting though all the beauty and pain this holiday represents for our ancestors. From here, we usually end up discussing small pox, well, until the smell of the pie curls throughout the apartment-THAT usually throws us into a discussion about what the Pilgrims REALLY ate for Thanksgiving-and THAT usually throws us into a discussion about what I used to eat for Thanksgiving: “Tofurky”…aka… “tofu turkey” (I assure you that NO Pilgrims or Native Americans ever had the pleasure of tasting Tofurky. What can I say? I was a vegetarian with a zest for meat substitutes).
Thanksgiving is a pretty special holiday for the Smith side of Jacobs’s family because they have a lush Wyandotte heritage. Jacob’s Uncle Rich has been the forerunner in keeping the family informed about their Native American roots. As a matter of fact, while Jacob was no bigger than pumpkin seed, his uncle Rich began fighting the government over land issues. I think his uncle was working as a potter on a reservation in New Mexico at the time. Interestingly enough, Jacob’s immediate family was blessed by Uncle Rich’s efforts, and was granted small financial settlements directly corresponding to the percentage of their Native American blood. I think Jacob is 1/16th which entitled him to $1,000. I thought it was kind of neat even though he doesn’t look Wyandotte at all!
Have a blessed thanksgiving full of rich and conflicting historical accounts! If you’re a friend reading this, know that I am thankful for you!
P.S. Here’s Uncle Rich’s website:
http://www.wyandotte-nation.org/profiles/rzsmith/richard_z_smith.html
So, you can learn Wyandot before thanksgiving!
How cool would it be to say “Please pass the maize” in Wyandot?
| By Heidi V. | 01:39 PM
Comments
Thanks for the reminder to keep the historical origins of our holiday in proper perspective. Wow, I didn't know Jacob had any Native American blood running through his veins. Cool.
Posted by: Neil E. Das at November 20, 2006 05:08 PM
Yep! Hey, what's up with the blog virus? The game thing?
Posted by: Heidi Vincent at November 21, 2006 09:36 AM